Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The Essential Rock 50/50.

This is the basic rock & roll library—50 albums and 50 songs not already included on those albums—that comprise the essence of rock & roll.For the LPs side, I tried to choose the artist's classic studio album, & only relied on greatest hits compilations when the artist never made a classic album (such as many of the early rock stars, like Chuck Berry & Jerry Lee Lewis) or the greatest hits became a classic album in & of itself (such as for Bob Marley & Sly & The Family Stone).For the 45s side, I used to this space to include artists who could've been included with the LPs but had a single that was strong enough to speak for an album (artists as diverse as Grandmaster Flash, The Eagles, & Smokey Robinson, among many others), or essential artist tracks that never landed on a classic LP (The Beatles' "Hey Jude," Elvis Presley's "Burning Love," & The Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women," to name but three). Finally, the 45s allowed for iconic songs that would otherwise be left out. Because where would rock be without Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock," The Ronettes' "Be My Baby," or The Kingsmen's "Louie, Louie"?Overall, the list is definitely slanted towards the older (none of this music was issued after 1991 & none of these albums were released after 1994), but that only seemed appropriate—if this is the canon where everything came from, it would be counterintuitive to expect it to be contemporary. To this end, I stuck with the "most classic" editions of the albums, including modern substitutes if it has gone out of print.Finally, for the reviews, I stuck within a 140-character "tweet-size" review/statement/headline to get a one-sentence gist of what the album & artist were doing here. & I left the singles section without commentary, as a great rock song can largely speak for itself.'Cuz as the old line goes, if you gotta ask, you ain't got it.The Rock 50, Part 1: The LPs.

1. The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds.

A tale of love found & lost, told through rich harmonies & dense instruments—in the finest LP up to its time.

2. The Beatles: 20 Greatest Hits.

A history of the 1960s in 20 #1 US Beatles hit singles or less.[OOP: Substitute The Beatles: 1]3. The Beatles: Rubber Soul.

The Beatles' first masterpiece, taking in Dylan & drugs for a deeper, folkier, & more introspective sound.

4. The Beatles: Revolver.

As the artistic ambitions grow, so does the quality & richness of the music—song-for-song, their finest album.

5. The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper.

The "Greatest Album of All-Time"—at least in terms of influence—proving that Rock could be Art.

6. The Beatles: Abbey Road.

A fitting finale of the greatest band of all-time—with production & musicianship, they went out on top.

The Rock 50, Part 2: The 45s.1. The Band: "The Weight." The rock ballad as quasi-spiritual pilgrimage, with grace, the devil, & Crazy Chester's dog.2. The Beach Boys: "Surfin' USA." In five words—"If everybody had an ocean"—westward expansionism with harmonies as dense as the terrain.3. The Beach Boys: "Good Vibrations." A staggering masterpiece of sound & vision, completed just as Brian Wilson lost his way.4. The Beatles: "Strawberry Fields Forever." Their finest recording—which makes it a strong contender for rock's finest, too.5. Johnny Cash: "I Walk The Line." The eternal Man In Black's signature tune.6. Ray Charles: "Hit The Road Jack." Brother Ray's most iconic post-Atlantic hit.7. Jimmy Cliff: "The Harder They Come." Not just the first major cry of reggae, but proof that rock had broken through to the third world.8. Sam Cooke: "A Change Is Gonna Come." Passionate, heartbreaking, & controversial, this was the greatest soul ever sung.9. Derek & The Dominos: "Layla." Eric Clapton + heartbreak x Duane Allman = Slowhand's epic masterpiece.10. Bo Diddley: "Bo Diddley." The beat that launched a thousand songs, though this one is still the best.11. Fats Domino: "Blueberry Hill." The signature song of rock's steady-rolling New Orleans piano man.12. Bob Dylan: "Blowin' In The Wind." Dylan's first masterpiece & the theme-song to an entire social revolution.13. Bob Dylan: "Lay Lady Lay." Dylan quits cigarettes, goes to Nashville, & scores a rare Top 10 hit.14. Bob Dylan: "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." Dylan scores a film no one remembers with an instant-standard that no one will ever forget.15. The Eagles: "Hotel California." Westward expansionism as a paradise-in-hell, with 16 guitars.16. The Everly Brothers: "Bye Bye Love." The primer for any group who wants to employ two-part harmonies as a lead vocal.17. Marvin Gaye: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." A masterful, deceptively simple record that was Motown's biggest hit up to its time.18. Grandmaster Flash: "The Message." Rap music as urban protest.19. Bill Haley & His Comets: "Rock Around The Clock." The shot-heard-'round-the-world of a still-unfinished revolution.20. Jimi Hendrix: "All Along The Watchtower." Somehow, Hendrix's only Top 20 US hit (!) & the greatest Dylan cover of all-time.21. The Impressions: "People Get Ready." Soul music as social prophecy, a rock & roll "Keep Your Eyes On The Prize."22. Elton John: "Your Song." Sir Elton's breakthrough—& many would say finest—hit song on both sides of the Atlantic.23. Janis Joplin: "Me & Bobbie McGee." A man's country song sung by a female blues singer, & a natural #1 hit.24. The Kingsmen: "Louie, Louie." Ground zero for punk rock: Three chords & the (garbled) truth.25. The Kinks: "You Really Got Me." Physical obsession as a blueprint for heavy metal.26. John Lennon: "Imagine." Radical socialism disguised as wistful sentimentality.27. Martha & The Vandellas: "Dancing In The Street." A call to arms, an answer to rioting, & one hell of a dance record.28. Van Morrison: "Brown-Eyed Girl." The soundtrack to everyone's favorite summer fight, or at least the way we choose to remember it.29. Roy Orbison: "Oh, Pretty Woman." After countless songs of heartbreak & pain, rock's king of gloom finally gets the girl—in the final seconds of the record.30. The Penguins: "Earth Angel." An unfinished demo buried on the flipside of a single that's now in the National Recording Registry as the quintessential doo-wop record.31. Elvis Presley: "Can't Help Falling In Love." Schmaltz as sincerity.32. Elvis Presley: "Suspicious Minds." The centerpiece of Elvis's late-'60s comeback, a study in paranoia that rivaled Vertigo, & the King's final #1 American hit.33. Elvis Presley: "Burning Love." One final burst of mad joy before the sorry decline.34. Otis Redding: "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay." Written while listening to Sgt. Pepper over and over, recorded three days before his plane crashed into the icy waters of Lake Monona. 35. R.E.M.: "Losing My Religion." The pioneering college (later "indie") rock band breaks into the Top 10 & takes the history of the music with it.36. The Righteous Brothers: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." One version of the Wall Of Sound: Mature, dynamic, & as subtle as a tidal wave.37. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: "The Tracks Of My Tears." A three-minute testimony explaining why Bob Dylan called Robinson America's greatest living poet.38. The Rolling Stones: "Paint It, Black." An attack on psychedelic rock, with tar brush in hand.39. The Rolling Stones: "Ruby Tuesday." An embrace of psychedelic rock, with flute in studio.40. The Rolling Stones: "Honky Tonk Women." Country sleaze as blues swagger—& their best-selling stateside hit to date.41. The Ronettes: "Be My Baby." Another version of The Wall Of Sound: An endless sea of instruments, voices, & echo that could be summoned into submission by a single kick-drum.42. Sly & The Family Stone: "Family Affair." Funk as weird, druggy protest—& somehow, a natural #1 hit.45. Patti Smith: "Gloria." Punk's greatest poet throws down the gauntlet in eight words or less: "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine."46. Ike & Tina Turner: "River Deep, Mountain High." A third version of the Wall Of Sound: An apocalyptic blast of sound & fury.47. U2: "One." The biggest band in the world nearly breaks up, writes this song, & is literally saved by it.48. The Who: "My Generation." One bass solo, two key changes, three instruments, and four musicians, all hanging on the five most exciting words ever (almost) sung in a rock song: "Why don't you all f-f-f—"49. Stevie Wonder: "Superstition." The funkiest funk ever told.50. Neil Young: "Heart Of Gold." Rock's most uncompromising rebel at his most surprising: Friendly & mainstream, with a #1 hit.